Means for producing motive power.



No. 886,274. v PATENTED APR. 28, 1908.

v J. L. TATE. MEANS FOR PRODUCING MOTIVE POWER.

I? APPIJIOATION FILED APR. 27, 1907.

WITNESSES INVENTOI? Arro/ lyg s JOHN LINCOLN 'rA'rn'or JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY;

I To all whom it ind y concern:

- minus F R PRODUCING mo'rrvn rowan.

Be it known that I, JOHN LINCOLN TATE, a

i citizen of the United States, and a resident'of Power, of which the following is a-full, clear,

1 and exact description.

Thisinvention relates to certain improve- Jersey Ciby, in 'thecounty of Hudson and State of ew Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Means for Producing Motive ments in means for utilizing heat energy in p the production of motive power, and an object of the, invention is to utilize the products of combustion of a liquid or gaseous fuel for theoperating of an engine and to add to said products by the injecting action thereof, a second fluid of a low temperature, whereby a motive fluid is formed of a temperature sufliciently low to prevent in'ury to the engine,

-but,-at the same time, 0 high pressure and velocity.

A further object of the invention is to in crease the efficiency of the engine by utilizing the latent heat of the exhaust, and also utilizing the exhaust gas of another engine.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying (1rawings,forming a part of this specification, inwhich similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures, and in which Figure 1 1s a diagrammatic illustration of an apparatus constructed in accordance w th my invention; and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a modified form.

In .a system constructed in accordance wlthmy invention, I desire to employ an explosive mixture as the main motive agent for .driving-the engine, and utilize not-only the expansion of said mixture at the time'ofthe ignition thereof, but also the velocity of the mixture in leaving the combustion chamber.- "lhe-prm'lucts of combustion leave the com-v bustion chamber at a very, high velocity-1 and are at an extremely high temperature, in fact such a temperature as-render their use in an engine practically impossible. is necessary' that the moving arts of'tl e-enguiebev kept at a reasonably ow temperature, and.

this is usually accomplished by the use of a water jacket or other similar means. In my improved system I provide means for cooling the products of combustion as they pass from danger of injuring the? latter.

the combustion chamber to the engine, so

that they may, be used in theenginewithout products, I addtheretoafluid'of a mate'- .ria'lly low temperature which in expanding,

Specification or Letters Patent. i Applicationflled Api'll 27,1907. Serial a. 310,644.

To. cool said Patented April 28, 1908.

due toits becoming heated, neutralizes the reduction in pressure of the roducts of com- 'bustion as the latter are coo ed.

In my improved s stem I- employ an enine 10 of any suitable character, either turine, rotary or reciprocating, but preferably of the former type. The engine may be rovided withany suitable form of contro in valves, governors, 'and the like, and ada to for the sup ly of a motive fluid throug an inlet conduit 11,-and the delivery of the exhaust gas through a conduit 12. p

' The-chief features of my invention relate to the roductionof the motive fluid, such means ein connected directly tothe con- (luits ll-ani 12.

F0r producing and igniting the ex losive mixture, I provide a combustion chain er 13,

referably in the. form of an elongated'tube aving separate air and gas conduits 14 and 15 delivering thereto. and having a check valve 16 to prevent backfiring-in case any air and gas are not delivered und er-sufliciently high pressure to maintain a continuous combustion in the chamber 13. Any suitable means maybe provided, as, for instance, .a spark plug 17 for igniting the gas Within the chamber. Surrounding the chamber 13 is a jacket 18 having one end 19 thereof conical 1n ,formand connected directly totheinlet conduit 11' of the engine. The end of the combustion chamber is also conical in form and terminates in a. discharge nozzle 20 adj acent the inlet end of the conduit 11', and within the conical end 19' of the jacket. This nozzle is smaller in .cross section than the conduit 11, andis located concentric therewith, wherebytheescape of the products of combustion from said combustion chamber causes an e-jecting'action upon the fluid in the jacket 1'8, and causes the two fluidsto be delivered together through the conduit 1 1 into the engine. The jacket 18 connects directly to a chamber 2 1 for the reception ofwater, thein terior of said chamber-being normally at a pressure below that ofthe atmos here, due to the ejecting action of the nozz e 20. Within the chamber 21 andbelow the normal water level thereof is provided a coil 22, one end of which communicates with the atmosphere and the .other end of which communicates with the exhaust pipe 12 of the engine.

'In the operation of my improvedmotive fluidgenerating means, air and gas under high pressure are delivered through the conjduits 14 and 15 and check valve 16 into the combustion chamber 13. The explosive mixture thus formed is ignited by the spark plug. 17 and the productsv of combustion under very high temperature rush at a high velocity through the nozzle 20 into the conduit ll and into the engine to operate the same. By the ejecting action of the nozzle 20, a partial vacuum is produced in the jacket 18, and the water ,within the chamber 21 is caused to rapidly va orize'at a pressure materially below that of tlie atmosphere, and the water vapor uniting with the hot prod-' nets of combustion serves to cool the latter. This cooling necessarily results in a reduction in pressure, but the heating of the water vapor and the adding of said water vapor to the products of combustion largely compensates for this reduction in pressure, so that the fluid delivered through the conduit 11 and into the engine is under high pressure and traveling at high velocity although at a sufliciently low temperature to prevent an njurious effect upon the engine parts.

The air and gas are delivered through the conduits 14 and 15 at such a pressure that they travel through thecombustion chamber 13 at a velocity greater than that of flame propagation, whereby a continuous combustion takes place in the chamber rather than an intermittent series of explosions. After the apparatus is started, the igniter may, if desired, be cut out of circuit and the combustion maintained independently thereof. All heat of combustion radiated from the chamber 13 is absorbed by the,

surrounding jacket and is thus conserved for use in the engine. The exhaust gases escaping through the conduit 12 contain a large uantity of heat and thelatent heat of condensation of the water. By deliverin the exhaust gases through the C011 22 in the 0 amber 21, which chamber may, if desired, be termed a boiler, the water is heated and the exhaust gases corres ondingly cooled.

Due to the maintenance 0 a pressure within the boiler less than that of the outside atmosphere, the boiling point of said water is maintained below-212 degrees, Fahrenheit, and all steam in the exhaust gases will be condensed in the coil 22 and the latent heat of condensationthus utilized for the heating of the water. For instance, if the ejecting action at the nozzle 20 causes a reduction of seven pounds pressure in the 'aoket and boiler, the water in said boiler will boil at approximately 180 de ees, Fahrenheit, and the exhaust gases an water of condensation will leave the coil at this temperature.

I may, if desired, employ a construction as above described in connection with an ordi-' nary steam en 'ne and utilize the exhaust steam from sai en he in my im roved system. In Fig. 2 of t e drawings have illustrated a portion of the,cy1inder of an ordinary steam engine 23, the exhaust gases from which escape through the conduit 24. This the atmosphere, if it is not desired to use the two in conjunction.

In order to further cool the hot products of combustion e sca in throu h the nozzle 20, and in order to rt er ad to the fluids delivered to the engine, I may, if desired, employ the construction illustrated in Fi 2, in which there is interposed in the conduit 11 a chamber 27 :havin transverse artitions 28 and 29 ad'acent t 0 upper an lower ends thereof an connected by a plurality of tubes .30 in communication with the s ace above the first mentioned partition an .'below the last mentioned partition. The conduit 11 is connected to opposite sides of theehamber between the partitions, whereby the prodnets of combustion and the water vapor from the boiler 21 or the'eii 7 e 23 pass into the space surrounding the t'u es 30 and on to the engine. The tubes and the space below the same are filled with water and serve as an auxiliary boiler. The portion' of the boiler 27 abovethe partition 28 communicates with an ejector 31 having a conduit 32. for a fluid under pressure and having an exhaust conduit 33 deliverin to the space surrounding the tubes 30. T e products of combustion are cooled by their passage in contact with the tubes 30, and the water within said tubes is heated and va orized under the partial vacuum created y the injector 31. This water vapor in entering the space surrounding the tubes 30 unites with the products of combustion and is delivered therewith into the, engine. In this manner the high temperature of the products of combustion is still further reduced and the second reduction in volume is made up for by the addition of the steam or water vapor entering through the conduit 33., Any suitable fluid under pressure may be employed for operating the ejector, as, for instance, compressed air.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: v

1. In combination, an engine, a combustion chamber delivering thereto, a jacket surrounding said combustion chamber, and

means whereby water vapor is passed through maintaining a pressure within said boiler below that of the atmosphere and delivering the vapor therefrom to said engine, and a combination chamber within said conduit and delivering to said ejector for heating said vapor intermediate the boiler and the engine.

3. In combination, an engine, a boiler, means for delivering the va or from said boiler to said engine heating t e vapor intermediate the boiler and the engine and maintainin a pressure within the boiler below that 0 the atmosphere, and means for heat ing said boiler by the exhaust fluid frdm said engine. I

4. In combination, angen ine, a boiler, a

combustion chamber, means or delivering an explosive mixture to said chamber, an igniter,

a jacket surrounding said combustion chamber and communicating with said boiler, a conduit connecting said chamber to said engine, and'an ejecting nozzle receiving its motive fluid from said combustion chamber and serving to force the water vapor from said jacket into said engine and maintain a pressure in said boilerbelow' that of the atmosphere, and means for heating said boiler by the exhaust ases from said engine. I

5. In com ination, a primary engine, a

secondary engine, a combustion chamber, means for delivering'the exhaust steam from the primary engine adjacent the combustion chamber, and means for delivering the products of combustion and said exhaust steam to'the secondary engine.

6.111 combination, a primary engine, a secondary engine, a combustion chamber, a

jacket surrounding the same, means for de-- livering'the exhaust steam from the primary.

engine to said jacket, and means for delivering the products of combustion and said exhaust steam to the secondary engine.

7. In combination, a primary engine, a secondary engine, a, combustion chamber, means for dellvering the exhaust steam adjacent said combustion chamber, and means for delivering. the products of combustion and the exhaust steam to said secondary engine by the ejecting action of said products of combustion. v

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN LINCOLN TATE.

Witnesses:

GRANT SCOTT, .F. M. DECKER. 

